Today’s ASX announcement that Rex Minerals has flagged a rethink of its controversial Hillside mine plans is good news for local farmers and the Yorke Peninsula community, say the Greens.

“The proposed Hillside mine would have permanently sterilised thousands of hectares of some of the best grain-growing land in South Australia for the sake of a 15 year mine. This was always a bad idea,” said Greens SA leader, Mark Parnell MLC.

“This is the wrong project for this location.

“It’s clear that projects that don’t have a social licence to operate will struggle to find finance.

“We urge Rex Minerals to take this opportunity to go back to the drawing board and focus their search for minerals outside grain-growing areas of SA.

“The Greens also call on the Government to immediately release the 99 secret conditions put to Rex Minerals as part of the mining lease offer.

“Unless they release them now, it will be impossible for the community to know what back-room deals have been done and what compromises have been made. Rigorous environmental conditions could be watered down and replaced in secret deals. Provided the number of conditions stays at 99, the public will never know how they were determined,” concluded Mr Parnell.